New Delhi, June 11 -- In Colombia's presidential election at the end of May, Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right candidate without a party affiliation or public office, got over 43% of the vote and is expected to win the run-off to be held in a few days.

Rather than his ideology (that the Euro-American media is focused on), let us consider what may be the more important story: his 'outsider' status. Coming on the heels of Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay's dramatic win in Tamil Nadu, the Colombian outcome offers the most recent example of the political appeal of outsider candidates.

One type of political outsider arises from within the established party system, but from the margins. The US has seen several instances, from Donald Trump and ...